A recent article in the Scientific American titled “Climate Change May Have Helped Spark Iran’s Protests” suggests climate – not Iran’s active export of terrorism and neglect of its civilian population – is responsible for the second consecutive week of protests in the Islamic Republic.

“The impacts of climate change are among the environmental challenges facing Iran that helped spark protests in dozens of cities across the Islamic republic,” the publication wrote.

People - Protests - December - Man - Sina

At least 22 people have died during the protests, which began on December 28. One young man, 23-year-old Sina Ghanbari, reportedly died while in custody at Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.

Protesters have cited inflation, the regime’s egregious human rights record, and its decision to allocate valuable resources to exporting terrorism and fighting unnecessary wars in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, instead of focusing on their population at home as the reasons for their uprising.

American - Protesters - Drought - Water - Resources

The Scientific American argues instead that the protesters are reacting to “a severe drought, mismanaged water resources and dust storms.”

“While the protests are largely driven by resistance to the country’s hardline conservative government, such environmental factors might have contributed to the largest protests inside Iran in years,” the publication argues.

Islamist - Clerics - Arguments - Correlation - Iran

Islamist Iranian clerics have made similar arguments of a correlation between Iran’s political climate and the earth’s. In 2016, one such cleric claimed that “immorality” among young Iranian women, stemming from dressing “improperly,” was resulting in climate change and causing Iran’s rivers and dams to run dry.

Similarly, in 2010, another senior Iranian cleric said women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to be blamed for earthquakes. “Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes,” Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi said.

Former - United - States - Candidate - Sen

Former United States presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has also claimed, “Climate change is directly...